Aerosol dispensers and like pressurized packages



Sept. 15, 1959 A. J. SAMUEL 2,904,229

AEROSOL DISPENSERS AND LIKE PRESSURIZED PACKAGES Filed Dec. 11, 1957 R INVENTOR ATTORNEY Unite I States AEROSOL DISPENSERS AND LIKE PRESSURIZED PACKAGES Application December 11, 1957, Serial No. 702,080

3 Claims. (Cl. 222-694) This invention relates to improvements in aerosol dispensers and like pressurized packages, and more particularly to a valve construction which permits the dispenser to be discharged in inverted as well as upright position without wasteful escape of the propellent gas.

Hair lacquer, liquid and powder cosmetics, paints, insecticides and many other products which can be applied as a spray or dust are packaged for convenient use in socalled bombs which contain a gas under pressure for discharging the contents. Such dispensers, which are sealed and non-refillable, commonly include an eduction tube which dips into the contents and through which the liquid or powder is forced when a discharge valve opens the eduction passageway to atmospheric pressure. If the receptacle is always held upright the end of the tube remains submerged until practically all of the contents have been expelled, but if it is inverted in use only gas will be discharged since the open end of the tube then lies above the surface of the contained material. In such case the charge of propellant is exhausted before the dispenser has been emptied, but the dispenser must nevertheless then be discarded.

Aerosol bombs of this type have a finger-pressed valve and nozzle mounted on the top, the nozzle being directed laterally or at an angle. This is sometimes a disadvantage, for in applying hair lacquer to the coiflure, for example, there is a natural tendency to turn the dis penser upside down as it is being passed around the users head, rather than shift it from one hand to the other. Also, in directing a spray into difiicultly accessible places, such as the crevice between a baseboard and floor, it would be advantageous if the receptacle could be inverted to bring the nozzle as close as possible to the point to be wetted and to insure maximum penetration of the spray into the crevice.

It is an object of the present invention to permit handling of such a dispenser without wasteful loss of propellent by providing a valved inlet in the upper part of the eduction passageway, in addition to, and remote from, the permanently open end of the depending tube, the valve controlling such inlet comprising one or more weighted pins which are slidable in orifices in the discharge valve body at the top of the dispenser and which have heads seating over said orifices when the receptacle is upright, but unseating therefrom to open flow passages into the eduction passageway adjacent the top of the receptacle when it is inverted. Accordingly, that portion of the discharge valve body which lies within the dispensing receptacle is formed with a laterally extending circumferential shoulder in which one or more flow orifices are located. Headed valve pins, which are slidable in the several orifices, are drawn down by weights to seal the orifices. When the dispenser is upright the orifices, which would otherwise afford a path for gas leakage because they lie above the level of liquid in the dispenser, are sealed by the weighted valves. However, when the dispenser is turned bottom-up the several valves fall away from their seats and the then submerged orifices are ice opened to admit liquid to the eduction passageway at a point close to the discharge nozzle. In this inverted position the open end of the eduction tube lies above the level of liquid, but inasmuch as the liquid phase is denser than gas, and pressure of the gas is exerted equally both inside and outside the tube, liquid will flow into the eduction passageway through the submerged inlet. Were it not for the second inlet, which is submerged when the receptacle is inverted, gas would, of course, flow freely to discharge.

The invention may be variously embodied as will be apparent from the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the upper part of a typical dispenser showing weighted valves of one form;

Figure 2 is a cross-section taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail view of a modification wherein the several valves are connected to a single, annular weight; and

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are detail views of valves which have heads of different shapes.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the dispensing receptacle 10 has a discharge valve assembly mounted on its top and an eduction tube 11 extending therefrom into the bottom part of the receptacle. The permanently open end of the tube constitutes a first inlet through which the liquid or powder to be dispensed flows under pressure to the nozzle 12.

The manually actuated discharge valve may be any one of a number which are commercially available. For purposes of illustration one such valve is shown, comprising a stem 13 which has a central passage terminating in a side port 14 which is normally closed by a flexible gasket 15. When the stem is depressed against the action of spring 16 the gasket is flexed to open the port 14 and thereby provide a through path for flow to the discharge nozzle.

In accordance with my invention the body 17 of the manual valve is of stepped diameter defining an annular shoulder 18 in which a number of orifices 19 are formed. Pins 20 which constitute the stems of poppet-type valves are slidable in these orifices, and enlarged heads 21 on the pins cover the orifices to seal the same when the valve heads rest on the shoulder 18. Firm seating engagement is achieved by providing each valve stem with a weight 22 at its lower end or, alternatively, by attaching a series of the valve stems to a single, annular weight 23 (Fig. 3) which loosely encircles the lower part 24 of the valve body, that portion being of less diameter than the upper one in which the orifices are located. The valve heads 21 may be of various shapes and materials. In the form shown in Figure 1 they comprise gaskets of rubber or other flexible material which can adapt itself to slight irregularities in the seating surface and maintain a seal. Figure 3 shows heads of frusto-conical shape seating in beveled orifices, whereas in Figure 4 the heads are spherical. In Figure 5 the mushroom-shaped head rests on the raised edge of the orifice and in Figure 6 the valve is shown as a flat disk covering the orifice.

Means may be provided to hold the weights oif of the surface of the valve body when the receptacle is inverted, and thereby prevent blocking of the fluid orifices where this is likely to occur. Such means may take any suitable form as, for example, a cross pin 25, Figure 3, which extends through the reduced portion of the valve body, or an upstanding stud 26 projecting from the top surface of the weight as in Figure 4, or the weight may have an irregular top surface such as the stepped surface shown at 27 in Figure 6.

When the receptacle is held upright the valves which control the inlet orifices near the top of the dispensing receptacle are seated and gas which occupies the space above the level of contained liquid cannot escape. Pressure is therefore exerted on the surface of the liquid to force it through the entire length of the eduction passageway to the discharge nozzle. But when the receptacle is inverted these valves near the top of the receptacle open to admit the liquid which then submerges them. Thus, with inlets to the eduction passageway at each end of the receptacle, and with the one at the top controlled by a gravity actuated valve, liquid is admited to the eduction passageway in both upright and inverted positions of the dispenser and so may be discharged without extravagant and wasteful depletion of the propellant.

I claim:

1. An aerosol dispenser or like pressurized package comprising, in combination with a receptacle, an eduction tube extending into the bottom part of said receptacle, a manually operated discharge valve at the top of the receptacle having a body of stepped diameter within the receptacle and a laterally extending shoulder located between the portions thereof of large and small diameter, the said shoulder being provided with orifices, and gravity actuated valves associated with the orifices for covering the same by seating on said shoulder when the receptacle is upright but movable to uncover the orifices when the receptacle is inverted.

2. In a pressurized dispensing receptacle adapted for discharge in both upright and inverted positions, a manually operated discharge valve and valve body mounted on the receptacle with the valve body extending thereinto, said valve body presenting an annular shoulder which connects an upper portion of the valve body with a lower portion thereof of less diameter, said shoulder being provided with an orifice, a pin slidably received in the orifice, a head on the upper end of said pin of larger size than the orifice, and a weight on the lower end of said pin, said weight serving to draw the head of the pin to its seat by gravity, whereby the orifice is covered when the receptacle is upright.

3. In a pressurized dispensing receptacle adapted for discharge in both upright and inverted positions, a manually operated discharge valve having a body extending into the receptacle, an eduction tube attached to the valve body and in fluid communication therewith, said valve body comprising an upper portion and a lower portion of less diameter connected thereto by an annular shoulder which overhangs the lower portion and is formed with an orifice for admission of the material to be dispensed, a poppet-type valve comprising a head and stem guided for substantially vertical movement in the orifice, the head of said valve being adapted to seat on said annular shoulder and to cover the orifice, a weight at the lower end of said valve stem adapted to draw the valve head to its seat when the receptacle is upright and to remove it from its seat when the receptacle is inverted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,557,127 Wilkin Oct. 13, 1925 2,403,850 Cowdrey et al. July 9, 1946 2,765,963 Langguth Oct. 9, 1956 2,793,794 Samuel May 28, 1957 

